The Row / Fall 2014 RTW

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When it comes to tracing the origins of the current predilection for the super-oversized and for everything swishing only a few inches above the ground, then Runway Zero would, as it were, be The Row. Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen were, of course, pioneers of that look way before they had a label to bring it to life for others, dramatically shrouding themselves in layers upon layers, usually accessorized with a capacious bag and androgynous flats. Zip forward to the collection they designed for this coming fall, and there is a sense they’ve come full circle to that moment when they first blipped onto fashion’s consciousness. Except, in the seven and some years that they’ve been designing The Row, they’ve learned to take what they do to a sublime level, obsessing over quality and finish in a way that’s entirely admirable in today’s ever faster, ever more disposable world. (Interestingly, Victoria Beckham, who’s taken a similar career path, switching from entertainment titaness to serious-minded designer, is precisely the same way.)

The Olsens opened their show with an absolutely enormous Dove sweater and matching long handkerchief-hem skirt, in what the sisters call “fur cashmere” (even just typing that sounds all luscious and swanky), and that set the tenor of fall, where clearly biggest is clearly best. There were square-collared voluminous coats and jackets, pretty much denuded of any obvious fastenings, which cloaked the body, enormous scarves draped over the front and back, their fringe edgings looking like they might graze the floor at any second, and softly flared skirts that appeared as though they had a blanket-like heft. All of these came with an elegantly restricted idea of accessorizing, with the perfect men’s oxfords, and the most gorgeous bag of the collections thus far: a drawstring bucket shape in gleaming crocodile. And while it’s true that the scale of these clothes, combined with their monastic mood, might not be to everyone’s taste, there was something wonderful here about the way The Row took a step out of the incessant chatter of fashion and quietly reflected on creating things which are meant to do nothing more than be personal and offer a sense of lasting pleasure.